Computer imaging technology has advanced dramatically over the past several decades. Computers can now capture detailed three-dimensional image information, such as from laser scanning, medical imaging devices and many other sources, and can also generate three-dimensional image information. However, computers have conventionally been limited in their ability to present such three-dimensional data. Often such data is presented in two-dimensional form on a screen, where much of the richness of the data may be lost.
More recently, three-dimensional printing technology has enabled computers to generate real three-dimensional models that can be made the subject of not only visual but also tactile examination. While three-dimensional printing can provide considerable advantages, it necessarily consumes material and produces waste if the printed object is ultimately unwanted. Relying solely on three-dimensional printing to enable computers to express three-dimensional data is analogous to a computer which, for two-dimensional data, has a printer but no monitor.